As we step into the New Year, I am sure there are many questions about the unknown. We are still trying to determine our place of being health-conscious in relations to COVID-19 and all the variants. We are still moving forward with an equity lens to improve policies, remove barriers, and strategically open our minds, hearts, and actions. Although this sounds like the narrative I spoke about last year, when a goal is not completed; we keep moving forward until we have all reached the finish line.
For almost two years, we have been in survival mode with our responses and actions. Our pivot towards racial equity that is inclusive of technology, mental health, education, resources, and basic needs to name a few challenges our thought process to thrive. How have you decided to lead to empower others to thrive in their spaces?
As I think about various leadership styles, there is something to be said about servant-leadership and leading with compassion. As you know, servant-leadership moves beyond transactional leadership. Servant-leadership empowers those around them to be innovative and purpose-driven. In addition, leading with compassion allows leaders to see from other perspectives to make a decision that strives to be all-encompassing.
As we return to our classrooms, offices, and/or continue remotely let us continue not to forget the goal of elevating racial equity, servant-leadership, and leading with compassion. In the words of the late Desmond Tutu, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
John Hamilton, Ed.D.
Associate Vice President, University Access & Retention
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Sydney Gray - Master of Social Work Description
Sydney talks about her experience being in the Master of Social Work program and the benefits of receiving the Black Alumni Scholarship.
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There are so many extraordinary CSULB Alumni who can inspire our community. If you would like to share your CSULB Alumni story, please contact us at Blackscholars@csulb.edu .
Let’s meet our first three!
Tiffany H. Robertson, Class of 2004
Major: Political Science/Public Law
Current Position: City of Long Beach, Contracts & Procurement Administrator, Department of Economic Development
Curglin K. Robertson, Class of 1999
Major: Liberal Studies
Current Position: California State University Long Beach, Director, Upward Bound Program.
Ashly Dawkins, Class of 2020
Major: Communication Disorders
Current Position: Long Beach School District – Speech Therapist Assistant, Owner - Swazi Shop
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Local Community Business Highlight |
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Feel Awakened
900 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90813
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Feel Awakened offers smoothies and acai bowls. The most popular items are the “build your own acai bowl” and the “Replenish smoothie” which is a tasty mix of mango, pineapple, banana, kale, spinach, and coconut water. Owner, Mya Pearson’s journey in the food industry started almost 8 years ago. She was inspired to go vegan when she started eating her sister’s food and realized how her body benefited from this shift. This sparked her passion for health and wellness.
Her mission is to provide accessible knowledge about vegan food to our community and to reflect health and wellness to those who look like her. This is an environment for all of us and a person doesn’t have to look or be a certain way for wellness to work for you.
Her top three priorities are quality, education, and organization. Providing access to healthy food and giving people options, she hopes to encourage everyone to discover what the journey of wellness looks like for them. Mya adds, “there is no boxed cookie cutter” approach to wellness, “Wellness is about you and what works for you.”
Feel Awakened is open on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9am to 3pm and Saturday from 10am to 3pm
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CSULB awarded $2.5M Keck Foundation grant to increase diversity in STEM. Link
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities |
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Applications will be accepted January 20 -March 13, 2022.
Funds are made possible by the Black Scholars Community and the Black Alumni Scholarship Gala.
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Hello, all journalists, writers, and commentators! The Black Scholar’s Newsletter committee is searching for a volunteer reporter!
It is our mission to support Black owned businesses by sampling their products and interviewing the owners. Interviews are crucial in maintaining the success of a business because they allow the audience to become aware of their existence and to understand and appreciate the owner’s reason for developing their craft. These volunteer positions provide an opportunity to use your writing and communication skills to help benefit our community.
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The Port of Long Beach scholarship is an annual award for Long Beach high school seniors who plan to pursue careers in international trade, goods movement or other port-related industries. It is the Port’s goal to provide financial assistance to deserving students and to support them in their quest to become successful professionals and future leaders. Applications accepted January 3, 2022 – March 1, 2022 11:59pm |
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The Upward Bound program joins in the effort to create a sense of community for our students by encouraging us to learn more about our African American history together. Please join Upward Bound, The African American Cultural Center, DSA & Sistahs on Campus, for an intergenerational discussion of the acclaimed book, The 1619 Project, by Nicole Hannah-Jones. The virtual event will be held on Thursday evening February 17, 2022. Together we learn, together we grow. You can register for this event at https://bit.ly/3GOAt67
The Upward Bound program serves high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.
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On Saturday, February 19, 2022 the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. invites you to join us for Voices Rising in Harmony: A Virtual Spoken Word Event
Proceeds from ticket sales go towards Delta Achievement Scholarships being awarded to deserving high school students and general operating costs.
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Planning to spend Valentine's Day at home this year? Spice things up with a virtual date night event. Learn to make a new dish, do some crafts, or take in a livestream together. And if you're single, there's plenty of Galentine's (and Palentine's) Day events to explore. This curated collection proves that love is all around, even when it's online. Virtual Valentine's Day Events 2022 | Eventbrite
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LBC Black Women Walk – Need a community while reaching your fitness goals! Meeting Place and Time: Sunday’s at 8:30 am –Long Beach @ The Bluff & Cherry Ave (Cherry & Ocean) Join Us!
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Grammy Museum Presents… Songs of Conscience, Songs of Freedom January 15 – May 8, 2022 – GRAMMY Museum
Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom examines the role music has played in informing and inspiring social consciousness throughout American history. Charting a path from spirituals sung by enslaved people in America and the songs and sounds of the American Revolution, to the mass movement of music and art that helped to stir action during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, to the continued fight for racial justice in America today, the exhibit spans time and genre to tell the stories of music’s role as a source of inspiration and education.
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College Can Help You Figure Out Who You Are
"I am not sure that I had any clue who I was when I began college. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in life, or what my real passions were. It took me leaving my family, my friends, my hometown, and their influences to begin to figure myself out. It gave me a starting point as I transitioned from everything I had once known."
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SAVE THE DATE – Saturday, April 23, 2022
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"Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you" |
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All funds raised support the mission of the Black Resource Center and Scholarships for students supporting the advocacy of our African American population on campus. |
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Please contact us if you have any upcoming events, celebrations, or stories you would like us to share with our community.
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